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In this unique new history of English, linguistics expert David Crystal draws on the words that best illustrate the huge variety of sources, influences and events that have shaped our vernacular since the first definitively English word was written down in the 5th century ('roe' if you were wondering!).
Synopsis
Featuring Latinate and Celtic words, weasel words and nonce-words, ancient word ('loaf') to advanced ('twittersphere') and spanning the indispensable words that shape our tongue ('and', 'what') to the more fanciful ('fopdoodle'), the author takes us along the winding byways of language via the rude, the obscure and the downright surprising.
